Worawi Makudi ( th, วรวีร์ มะกูดี) (born 29 November 1951), also referred in the media as Bung Yee ( th, บังยี, ) is a Thai former football official. He was a member of the FIFA Council from 1997 to 2015. He served as the Football Association of Thailand's General Secretary from 1996 to 2007, before being elected president in 2007. In October 2015 Makudi was suspended by

FIFA Ethics Committee The FIFA Ethics Committee is one of FIFA's three judicial bodies. It is organized in two chambers, the ''Investigatory Chamber'' and the ''Adjudicatory Chamber''. Its duties are regulated by several official documents, most importantly the ''FIF ...

from all football activities for 90 days. In February 2016 he was banned by FIFA Disciplinary Committee for three months after it was found that he had breached the previous ban. In October 2016 Makudi was banned by FIFA Ethics Committee for five years and fined 10,000 Swiss Francs for

forgery Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbidd ...

and falsification.

Early life and career

Makudi is a member of the Thai Muslim minority. He attended

Amnuay Silpa School Amnuay Silpa School ( th, โรงเรียนอำนวยศิลป์; ) is a coeducational private school in Bangkok, Thailand. It teaches kindergarten, primary and secondary levels. The school was founded in 1926, formerly as an all- ...

, where he became interested in football and was recruited into the school team. He studied at the Kuwait University, financed by the government of Kuwait, and was selected to join the University's football team. Makudi served as the Football Association of Thailand Secretary-General from 1996 to 2007, before being elected president in 2007. He was a member of FIFA Council from 1997 to 2015. Makudi has been chairman of Thai League club

Nakhon Ratchasima F.C. Nakhonratchasima Mazda Football Club ( Thai สโมสรฟุตบอลจังหวัดนครราชสีมา), commonly known as Korat, is a professional football club based in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. They play in the T ...

since September 2021.

Corruption allegations

In May 2011,

Lord Triesman David Maxim Triesman, Baron Triesman (born 30 October 1943) is a British politician, merchant banker and former trade union leader. Triesman is a Labour member of the House of Lords. Triesman previously sat as a Labour peer until resigning the ...

gave evidence in the British Parliament that Makudi had demanded the TV rights to a friendly between England and the Thai national team in return for voting for England to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This led to an inquiry set up by the

Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...

, where Triesman repeated the allegation of corruption by referring to his parliamentary evidence. Makudi then tried to sue Triesman for

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

, claiming that the allegations were not true and that his reputation had been tarnished. However the case was dismissed on the grounds of abuse of process, which was confirmed by a higher court.Owen Bowcott
Lord Triesman cannot be sued for libel by Thai official, court of appeal rules
'

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

26 February 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makudi, Worawi 1951 births Living people

Worawi Makudi Worawi Makudi ( th, วรวีร์ มะกูดี) (born 29 November 1951), also referred in the media as Bung Yee ( th, บังยี, ) is a Thai former football official. He was a member of the FIFA Council from 1997 to 2015. He serve ...